Developer NeocoreGames is most known for creating real-time strategy titles that include the King Arthur series, but The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing is very much an action RPG instead. Van Helsing and Katarina will team up to fight off hordes of deadly monsters throughout the game. Building up a powerful team that works well together is a key to surviving in The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing, and various skill trees typically allow for making characters more skilled in either ranged or up close, melee attacks. There are also plenty of special skills, passive abilities and more that give the player benefits such as boosted defense when Katarina is nearby, powerful charged attacks and more. Replaying The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing after completing the game for the first time is encouraged in order to see what playing through the game with different character builds is like, though there is still a meaty campaign here that will take many hours to complete.
Lady Katarina is controlled by the AI throughout the game and is very helpful in combat and serves as a way to access additional items even when there are no stores around. Sending Katarina away can be a dangerous balancing act when monsters are nearby however. Though Van Helsing will be vulnerable at these times, the hunter can still quickly alternate between ranged and melee attacks with the click of a button and perform attacks with the mouse. A special Rage meter will build with each kill as well that will eventually allow the character to unleash a powerful attack or simply horde away in order to gain additional benefits until the attack is needed most. Gameplay in The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing is very addictive and controls well. Action RPG fans should immediately feel right at home in this strange world, but they won't want to soon be leaving it.
The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing also allows up to four players to team up cooperatively online for even more fun. This can make the game awfully chaotic at times, but when the servers are up and running smoothly, it can make a great escape to a fantasy world for you and your friends. Multiple difficulty settings allow players to play The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing at their own pace, and there is even a hardcore character mode that gives the player only a single life and permanent death. Good luck with that player! The game's co-op mode has been greatly improved since it's launch with a small patch and adds hours of replay to an already fun title. We had few problems with the co-op over the Memorial Day weekend and found it to be loads of fun. Players can also learn alchemic skills that allow the creation of powerful new items, and every good monster hunter needs his own hideout, and you can customize your own just the way you like to have a place to relax and practice your alchemy skills in private. Other customization options include the actual equipment placed on characters changing the way they look in-game and more, so there is always something new to see and do in The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing.
The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing is a nice enough looking game with little slow down, frame rate issues and other graphical glitches. The panned out, over the top view can be a bit distracting for players not accustomed to strategy titles or other genres that typically use the asymmetric view, and when massive hordes of enemies attack, it can be fairly difficult to keep track of the action. This can be pretty frustrating at times, but the game is still an overall fun experience. Some decent voice acting and theme songs accompany the action and do a good enough job to drive the narrative forward. Tight and responsive controls are always a plus, and The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing definitely has just that. Overall, The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing is a fun experience and a good deal on sale on Steam for the introductory price of $13.49. Check it out today!
The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing is now available for PC and Mac and can be purchased for $14.99. The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing is not yet rated. For more information or to order a copy of The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing, check out the official NeocoreGames website.
Game Features:
Game Information:
Developer & Publisher: NeocoreGames
Platforms: PC (reviewed) & Mac
Release Date: May 22, 2013
